


i'd give you all the years of my life

by plinth_of_life



Category: Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator
Genre: Established Relationship, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Introspection, M/M, Marriage Proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:02:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25088875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/plinth_of_life/pseuds/plinth_of_life
Summary: Damien invites Hugo to a graveyard stroll, one both men knew would culminate in something special.
Relationships: Damien Bloodmarch/Hugo Vega
Comments: 5
Kudos: 34





	i'd give you all the years of my life

**Author's Note:**

> hello! this is my first work in the ddadds fandom and I'm really excited to share this! a bit late to the ddadds party but nevertheless I fell in love with the vegamarch ship and I felt obliged to write this. I hope y'all enjoy!
> 
> (title from "i couldn't be more in love" by the 1975)

It was a cold night in Maple Bay, much like most evenings come the autumn season, but walking through the graveyard sent copious chills down Hugo’s spine, more than would be expected when winter was two months away. Perhaps it was the brown, dried-up grass covered in frost that crunched under his feet with every step he took or the fog looming over each nook and cranny of the old burial grounds that made the night air seem that much colder. Nevertheless, he didn’t have a right to complain, not when he had his beloved on one arm, so close they were almost connected at the hip. Damien’s warmth radiated from his long, tailed coat and just the feeling of being beside him caused heat to travel to Hugo’s cheeks and spurred a flutter within his chest.

…

He wasn’t quite sure why Damien brought him out here in the first place. While they had certainly taken strolls through the graveyard many a time, this visit seemed impromptu. Usually, Damien would invite Hugo on a date to the cemetery via post, or more accurately via a letter Damien would pen in his study then immediately drop into Hugo’s mailbox. (While Damien enjoyed many of the customs associated with letter writing, the ordeal of stamps was not one of them.) This would immediately be followed by an afternoon spent sitting at his bay window, reading a novel and occasionally, or often very frequently, glancing over to see if Hugo had received it. Hugo didn’t dare tell Damien but every time he headed to his mailbox and looked across the street, in anticipation of a letter from his beloved, he could catch a glimpse of those bright violet eyes peeking out from the window of his manor and the sight never failed to make him smile.

However, this occasion was… different. Hugo received a message left on his doorstep, a rolled up piece of parchment tied to a black rose with twine. He chuckled upon seeing it right in front of his feet, thanking whatever gods there may be that it didn’t blow away on that particularly gusty day.

He carefully undid the delicate bow and unrolled the parchment, certainly not needing to take a moment to speculate about who it could have possibly been from. Regardless, seeing the beautiful penmanship inside, written in crisp black ink no less, left him without a doubt of its sender.

My dearest Hugo,

I write to you in this uncustomary fashion with a disclosure I hope you find of utmost intrigue. Assuming this letter was received in proper fashion and you, my beloved, are indeed the reader of this document, I extend an invitation to you as follows:

A traditional graveyard picnic on the coming Saturday evening, complete with appropriate accoutrements. Formal dress is encouraged, as would be expected for a proper gentleman like yourself, though I am certain your impeccable style will not disappoint.

While I do not want to provide a complete revelation, you most likely have assumed this occasion is of special importance. To that, you would be correct. Please send a reply with your acceptance (or denial, though to that I do not dare to ponder) of this request.

Much love and care to you, my dearest. I await our next acquaintance with pleasure.

Yours Truly, D. Bloodmarch

Hugo chuckled to himself as he read the note, knowing Damien had something up his sleeve yet again. The last time he received a letter that was deemed of “special importance” had been towards the end of summer, just around the time of their 1-year anniversary of courtship, as Damien phrased it. Hugo knew that the timing of the letter was no coincidence; though Damien was thoughtful, he was far from subtle. The occasion in question ended up being a tea party of sorts in Damien’s flourishing garden, where the two lost themselves in conversation and talked until sunset, all about their hopes and dreams for the future, for both themselves as individuals and for their relationship, including the possibility of marriage, a topic Damien seemed to very deliberately emphasize. It wasn’t a proposal, no, more of a conversation of where each man stood in relation to the topic. Both had been married before, both to husbands who broke their promise of “till death do us part” after their children were born, the added stress straining their commitment to one another.

Hugo had a hunch before then but after that night, he knew for certain that Damien wanted to marry him. And of course, Hugo wanted to marry Damien too, but nevertheless, the thought did scare him. Not because of Damien, far from it; he couldn’t be more in love with that charming Victorian gentleman. It was more the concept of marriage, or with Hugo’s past experience of it, that scared him. He thought he was madly in love with his previous husband too, and was completely willing to spend the rest of his life with him. They had a child together, a child they intended to raise in a single, loving household as he grew. Maybe he should have seen the problems sooner but it seemed that only a few years after Ernest was born, everything suddenly changed. All the things he loved about his husband, his spontaneity, his carefree attitude, his willingness to stand up for what he believed in, turned out to be all the things he hated about him too: how he could never make plans ahead of time, how he became less and less invested in his career and his family, how he was stubborn to a fault about the most miniscule things. 

Hugo knew his current boyfriend was nothing like that and no matter what flaws he possessed, there was no one more dedicated, caring, or invested in his family than Damien Bloodmarch. Still, the stakes were higher than ever before. If they got married, it would be crucial that they make it work, not only for their own happiness but also the well-being of their sons both on the cusp of young adulthood, both of whom had already dealt with so much change in their lives; both of them children of divorce, both uprooted to Maple Bay after said divorce, both having seen their parents completely change before their eyes; Hugo’s stress mounted as divorce proceedings and Ernest’s streak of bad behavior took a toll on him while Damien’s transition made Lucien have to adapt quickly to those rapid changes and caused him to be even more protective of his father.

But Hugo knew Lucien trusted him, he was one of few the sensitive and standoffish boy did, and he knew Damien was a great father, one that could provide Ernest the support he needed through his troubled adolescence. Marrying Damien and combining their two families to make one seemed like the next logical step. All Hugo really had to do was accept Damien’s offer and see what he had in store for him.

…

“Let’s take a seat here, my love,” Damien said to Hugo, gesturing at the stone bench in front of him.

Hugo smirked, having an idea of what was coming, and sat down, putting his arm around Damien once the other man settled next to him.

“I’m sensing an incoming special occasion…” Hugo said with a deep chuckle. He leaned into Damien to leave a kiss on his cheek but was jokingly swatted away.

“Oh, hush! You’re never any good with surprises!”

Despite his air of annoyance, Damien rested his head on his boyfriend’s shoulder and leaned into his side.

They sat in silence for a while, holding each other close on that cold night and reveling in the peaceful solitude they shared amongst the tombstones.

Finally Damien spoke, murmuring softly.

“You should know I had a private chat with Ernest a few weeks ago while you were at work.”

“Is that why he’s been acting strange lately? He keeps wondering when you’re going to ask me out. I thought he just wanted me to stay the night at your place so I could get out of his hair.”

“Well, a night at my home should certainly be arranged…” Damien muttered with a sly smirk that made Hugo giggle into his boyfriend’s hair. “But that’s not what we talked about. I had to ask him permission for something.”

“Permission for what? He doesn’t have any forms he made you sign instead of me, does he? Unless you’re talking about—”

“In Victorian times,” Damien nervously cut Hugo off, turning to look him in the eyes, “it was essential for the male suitor to ask his fiancée’s father if he could have his daughter’s hand in marriage.”

Hugo was silent, a small smile creeping up on his face.

“But since you don’t exactly belong to your father, as women in those times did,” Damien continued, reaching out for Hugo’s hand and squeezing it in his own, “I thought it more important to ask someone you more actively share your life with, someone that will be an active part of my life too…”

“Don’t tell me Ernest turned you down,” Hugo shook his head with a grin.

“No, quite the contrary. The poor boy actually started to tear up a little, even if he profusely denied it. He hugged me too and told me to give him the play-by-play of well… this.”

“So what you mean by ‘this’ is—” Hugo trailed off, his smile growing.

Damien placed a finger on Hugo’s lips with a soft  _ shush _ and swiftly stood from the bench, his hand still holding Hugo’s.

“My dearest Hugo…” Damien said as he reached into his cloak.

As he pulled his hand back out from under the fabric, Hugo could make out a small box in the darkness. He so badly just wanted to say  _ yes _ and pull Damien into his arms but he knew his boyfriend well enough that it was best to let the show he had planned go on.

“ _ Mi amor _ , my everything, my lovely companion,” said Damien, punctuated by a sniffle. Hugo held himself back from pointing out the obviously visible tears forming in the other man’s eyes.

Damien lowered himself onto one knee and held out the box in front of him, opening it to reveal a titanium ring embedded with black diamonds, gleaming in the moonlight.

“Would you do me the honor of accepting my proposal of holy matrimony?”

“Is that how Victorians said ‘will you marry me’?” Hugo laughed through the tears that were now blurring his vision too.

“Perhaps,” Damien chuckled in his choked-up voice.

“It would be my greatest honor,  _ mi corazón _ ,” Hugo said with a smile, standing up and bringing Damien’s free hand up for a kiss.

“So that’s your distinguished gentleman way of saying ‘yes’?”

“Yes, Damien. Yes, I will certainly marry y—”

Damien stood up and interrupted Hugo’s acceptance with a kiss, sweet and tender.

“My apologies, I couldn’t help myself” Damien murmured as he pulled away. His cheeks reddened and he cast his eyes downward, smiling at the ground.

“You only need to apologize if you lose this ring before it gets on my finger,” Hugo replied, gently placing his hands on Damien’s shoulders and planting a soft kiss on his forehead.

“Oh, yes, of course!” Damien’s eyes shot up to make contact with Hugo’s. He took the ring out of the ornate black box and grabbed hold of Hugo’s left hand, delicately sliding the ring onto his finger.

“Lucien helped me pick it out. He described it as ‘your style but like more normal for Hugo’s sake’.”

Both men began to laugh, heartily and strong, leaning into each other and wrapping their arms around one another.

“You’re serious that Ernest cried?” Hugo mumbled into Damien’s hair.

“Oh yes, but don’t you dare tell him I told you that. He was really excited for you to show him the ring, though.”

Hugo pulled away to look at Damien, still holding him in an embrace.

“He thought I’d say no?”

“Moreso, he thought you’d ‘chicken out’, in his terms.”

Hugo hummed and gave Damien’s cheek a peck.

“Well, I’m no chicken,  _ cariño _ . In fact, I’d like to pick out a ring for you. Maybe Ernest can help me with his ever so eloquent feedback.”

“That would be lovely,” Damien beamed up at his now fiancé. “Women were in fact allowed to give their betrothed a ring in exchange, though I’m not sure it was custom to seek out a 13 year-old’s advice on the matter.”

Hugo began to giggle and pulled Damien in again, holding him to his chest. Wrapped in scents of lilac and bergamot, his face buried in silky locks of black hair, he reveled in the feeling, knowing he’d get to have it for the rest of his life.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments, kudos, and reblogs are always appreciated.
> 
> Check me out on tumblr [@plinth-of-life](https://plinth-of-life.tumblr.com) <3 (though mostly phan content, perhaps I'll post more ddadds stuff in the future)


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